Amasa Stone Bishop

Who was Amasa Stone Bishop?

Amasa Stone Bishop was an American nuclear physicist specializing in fusion physics. He received his B.S. in Physics from the California Institute of Technology in 1943. From 1943 to 1946 he was a member of the staff of Radiation Laboratory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he was involved with radar research and development. Later, he became a staff member of the University of California at Berkeley from 1946 to 1950. Specializing in high energy particle work, he earned his Ph.D. in Physics in 1950.

After attaining his Ph.D., Amasa spent three years in Switzerland, acting as Research Associate at the Federal Institute of Technology in Zürich, and later at the University of Zürich. In 1953 Amasa joined the research division of the Atomic Energy Commission in Washington and became the director of the American program to develop controlled fusion, also known as Project Sherwood. He was later presented the AEC Outstanding Service Award for his work. After leaving this position in 1956, Amasa published a book on behalf of the AEC discussing the various attempts at harnessing fusion under Project Sherwood. The book, "Project Sherwood: The U.S. Program in Controlled Fusion", was published in 1958.